Rock

Ya-Sin

Ya-Sin spent last season with the Ravens and wound up appearing in 14 games while making one start. He totaled 13 tackles and two pass breakups on the year while earning a PFF coverage grade of 63.8. However, he played on a career-low 279 defensive snaps—significantly less than his previous low of 592. Ya-Sin will provide nice depth to the 49ers’ secondary but is unlikely to draw many starts.

The Colts focused on speed and character this draft, but Ya-Sin ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash... according to the official NFL Scouting Combines times. However, the Colts rely on their own times and their slowest time for Ya-Sin was 4.48 seconds. It’s interesting that teams rely on their own hand clocked times instead of laser-timed technology, and it’s really interesting for the Colts to announce that they don’t believe in the official times.

Ya-Sin (6’0/192) spent three years at D-2 Presbyterian College, then transferred to Temple for his senior season and earned PFF College’s No. 1 cornerback grade in the American Conference by yielding a 53% completion rate and 62.1 passer rating when targeted. He didn’t give up a single reception of 20-plus yards. Ya-Sin needs significant technical work and lacks elite speed (4.51), but his competitive nature, plus size, and college dominance across levels bode well for Ya-Sin’s chances of becoming a long-term NFL starter.

The Colts already traded down once in this draft; moving 26 for the 46th pick from Washington and acquired a second-round pick. The 34th pick was acquired in the deal for Sam Darnold last year. Rapoport mentions that there are a “plethora” of quality lineman, wide receivers and corners still available. It’s also possible that they could be a landing spot for a team looking to move ahead of the Raiders for Drew Lock. If they do move down, a corner like Rock Ya-Sin of Temple could be a target.

Ya-Sin (6'0/192) not only didn’t allow a reception on deep targets, but he also snagged two interceptions according to Pro Football Focus. The Temple Owl is one of PFF’s top-ranked cornerbacks, but he’s not quite a first-round-level athlete (4.52-second 40-yard dash at 192 pounds). An AFC secondary coach, however, did recently say that Ya-Sin can “take a big leap” with the right coaching because he already has the toughness of a press-man corner.

“Once he adds some coaching and technique to his physical tools, he’s got a chance to take a big leap,” the coach told Zierlein. “We love guys that look like him. That’s what you want your GM to draft.” Zierlein compares Ya-Sin to Nate Hairston of the Indianapolis Colts, noting his “carved up physique” and that he has the potential for extended mirroring and to help in press coverage. He seconds the secondary coaches’ ‘concerns’ about his technique, and Zierlein notes that his field awareness is only average. Still, the overall report is a positive one, with Zierlein summarizing that Ya-Sin has the “the strength, toughness and feet to go from shadowing presence to a more disruptive one as a press-man corner.”

While this isn’t the fastest time -- nor is it close to one -- it’s a very solid number for Ya-Sin, who measured in at 6-foot and 192-pounds in Indianapolis. He’s viewed as a solid press corner with quality ball skills, and even if this time means he’s not going to be able to chase down the D.K. Metcalfs, he should be able to keep up with all but the fleetest of corners. Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller wonders if this time could make Ya-Sin a first-round candidate in the draft, but he appears to be a polarizing member of this class.

There are quite a few prospects that intrigue with their size in this class, and Ya-Sin -- listed at 6-foot, 189-pounds -- is another one of those prospects, with Brugler noting his “rocked up, muscular frame.” He also cites his “excellent” ball skills, and ability/willingness to help in the run game. Like many of the other “big” corners, Brugler has questions about Ya-Sin’s speed, and that he needs to improve his timing in press coverage. "...[Ya-Sin]is a late bloomer,” Brugler writes in his summary, "[but he] stays dialed in with his eyes in the right place and outstanding competitive toughness, projecting best in a zone-heavy scheme.”

Jeremiah lists size, length, speed, and toughness as Ya-Sin’s biggest positives. The Temple corner showed NFL-caliber coverage after transferring from Presbyterian College, and it showed when he missed the bowl game. Duke quarterback Daniel Jones shredded a highly-ranked Temple defense with Ya-Sin on the bench, which shows how important he was for the Owls. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler calls Ya-Sin the top-rated senior corner, which puts him squarely on the Day 2 radar.

Ya-Sin (6'2/190) came to Temple from Presbyterian College, and he impressed scouts and was one of the top analytic-rated corners in 2019, as well. Brugler notes that the corner showcased “outstanding play strength, eye use and ball skills.” If he shows the same during the practices/game in Mobile, he’s going to be a Day 2 selection.